Nato

Did Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania switch to the Republican Party, saying, "I'm never gonna be a communist who believes men should use the girls' bathroom"? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page known for its satirical content, which carries the warning "Nothing on this page is real." The image supporting the claim is also…

Is an "Internal Memorandum" reportedly from the White House Butler's Office about missing cutlery real? No, that's not true: There is no credible evidence that the memo is authentic, especially since there is no White House Butler's Office to begin with. The creator of the social media post also acknowledged that the memo was "satire" when someone responding to the…

Does a viral video capture a real fight between Brazilian soccer players Neymar and Robinho Júnior? No, that's not true: The clip contained glitches typical of AI-generated content. Neymar was not part of that soccer club when the video's timestamp suggested the incident took place. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on May 5, 2026.…

Did Senator Elizabeth Warren sell 20,000 shares of Spirit Airlines stock at a huge profit just two weeks ago? No, that's not true: A meme's claim that the senator sold shares in the airline before it went bust is unfounded. This story originated from a satire page that carries a disclaimer, "Nothing on this page is real." Press coverage documented…

Was Cole Tomas Allen, the man accused of shooting at attendees at the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner, on the payroll of the Democratic National Committee and several California Democratic politicians, including Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and Adam Schiff? No, that's not true: A DNC spokesperson, a Newsom spokesperson, and a Pelosi spokesperson all told Lead Stories the…

Does a real video show how a blue whale calf can catch its mother's milk as it flows freely in a stream through the ocean water? No, that's not true: This video is fake. The Hive Moderation tool determined with 99.9% confidence that the video was AI-generated. Real footage of whales nursing does not show a high-velocity stream of milk…

Did Al Jazeera broadcast a report stating that NATO countries shared intel with Iran on U.S. military movements? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find evidence of such a report. The video claiming to be the Al Jazeera report contained an AI-generated voice-over. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on April 22, 2026.…

Did The New York Times publish a headline saying "A North American Treaty Organization Without America?" Yes, that's true: The mistake appeared in the April 3, 2026, print edition of the paper. Instead of saying "North American Treaty Organization," it should have said "North Atlantic Treaty Organization." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @sissenberg account on…

Does a viral image of world leaders showing their middle fingers as an act of apparent disagreement with U.S. President Donald Trump show a real 2026 TIME Magazine cover? No, that's not true: The magazine's website did not contain such a cover. The image displayed shows signs strongly pointing to generative AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Did Oprah Winfrey try to buy Sen. John Fetterman's vote on the "Big Beautiful Bill" for $20 million? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page known for its satirical content. The image supporting the claim is stamped with a warning label that says: "Satire. EVERYTHING on this page is FICTION." The claim appeared in a post…